The current invention relates to the safe installation and removal of a circuit board into a system during live bus activity in the system or when installation or removal of the circuit board needs to be detected.
Hot swap capability refers to the ability to insert and remove circuit boards from a system without powering down the whole system. Several hot swap schemes are disclosed in the prior art employing mechanical, electrical and electro-mechanical means to allow circuit board insertion and extraction. Many schemes use staggered pin lengths to control power connection and disconnection and circuitry to connect and disconnect output drivers from control and signal buses. By using staggered pin lengths on the hot swappable cards, the circuit can detect a hot-insertion or hot-extraction and generate a corresponding signal. In a preferred embodiment, a circuit card is employed which uses three different pin lengths. Two of the pin lengths, long and short, provide the inputs to the state activated one shot with extended pulse timing for hot-swap applications.
The current invention allows for the detection of a hot-insertion or a hot-extraction of a circuit board from a system by generating a signal in the form of a pulse when either occurs. In addition, the pulse remains active for a period of time after the hot-insertion or hot-extraction terminates (i.e., the circuit board is completely inserted or completely removed). This additional period of time prevents any damage or disruption of signaling caused by transient current and voltage fluctuations as the circuit board is inserted or extracted as explained below. Consequently, the state activated one-shot with extended pulse timing is ideal for bus-resets during hot-swapping.
Furthermore, the state activated one shot isolates power domains. This is essential during hot-swap applications to prevent latch-up and unwanted powering of a board by input signals. When a CMOS part has higher potential on its input than on its voltage supply lines, current can flow through the inputs to the CMOS power domain. When this happens, the CMOS part can go into a state known as latch-up, where it will not work properly until power cycled. This is a problem in hot-swap applications, because a circuit board being installed will not be powered up immediately, whereas its inputs can already be high.
In the standard case, (one of the inputs is low), the state activated one shot separates inputs and on-board power domains. This prevents the inputs from sourcing current to the on-board power domain when the on-board power is off. This is useful when the state activated one shot is itself implemented on a hot-swappable circuit board, such as in the case of redundant hot-swappable circuit boards. When said board is hot installed into the system, its on board power is initially at zero potential. If one of the inputs to the one shot is high, while the other is low (this is almost always the case), then no current will flow through Q3 (see FIG. 1), and thus no leakage current will flow through the inputs.
Another advantage of the state activated one shot is that it prevents signal and data corruption. As a circuit board is inserted and removed, undesired signals such as voltage spikes can be generated on the signal lines, thereby corrupting the signals and associated data being passed through the system. The state activated one shot will prevent this corruption.
Finally, the state activated one shot is ideal for redundant hot-swappable circuit boards, thus eliminating the need to put circuitry on the midplane.